04 September 2012

Linda Trim: Always act honourably

Linda Trim, Giant Leap Workspace Specialists

Marketing and sales director at Giant Leap
Workspace Specialists, Linda Trim doesn’t believe in limiting her business
dreams – there’s always room to improve and grow. Her business is all about architecturally designing workplace interiors that inspire the people who use them.

Have
you always been entrepreneurial?

I
have definitely always had a bit of “hustler” in me but it has developed as I
have in business. From a young age I have always had incredible ambition
and a desire to succeed.

What
were you doing before joining the business?

I
was in IT recruitment which was very stifling. Starting out in a start-up
company allowed me to have no boundaries – to be able to put my signature on
what we did and achieved. It allowed me to work in implementing the roll out of
many systems, rather than just working the way others wanted.

What
kind of planning goes into the venture?

We
sit as a team at the beginning of every year and map out what we want to
achieve. We look back at the past year, our successes and where we could have
done better and re-evaluate going forward.

What
was your big dream for this venture?

Our
dream was to be the most professional, the biggest and offer our staff the best
working environment. We still dream. The dream never stops. We are always
taking in new ventures, growing the business in different ways. Be it a new
client project, a new CSI project or merely a new marketing venture. The
success of our dream is never setting a limit.

How
does a new entrepreneur find business leads and profit from them?

It
all goes back to networking and believing in your product and offering; having unwavering
faith. Also having a strategy where you can not only network but collaborate
with others. Team work goes a long way.

How
does a new entrepreneur figure out what makes them unique and leverage that
difference?

Belief
in yourself – a false sense of never failing makes you fearless in your
conquest. However, you need to know who else is out there and stay close to
competition. Always stay close to what is happening in your market and
keep up to date with international market leaders. Try to differentiate
yourselves from others.

How
does a new entrepreneur figure out what to charge for their
service/product?

It’s
an assessment of what the market can afford. I have always believed you have to
give products away or offer a cheaper service just to get in door and earn a
reputation.

What
was your most epic fail in the early days?

I
have never had an epic fail but I guess hiring staff and building a team are
always the hardest. Like buying a lotto ticket, you never know what you
are going to get.

How
do you keep yourself motivated?

I
always look at my past successes and what I still want to achieve, it drives
me. Having a dream board to remind me what I’m working for. Remembering what
it's all about and the people on your payroll.

Do you
have a mentor?

Everyone
needs a mentor, if not a few. Always act honourably; that way it can never
come back to bite you in the bum. Mentors change as you grow, but I always
believe there is room to improve and grow.

Is
it ever alright to give up on a dream?

No,
unless you have a new dream that replaces it. Dreams get you out of bed in the
morning but sometimes they need to be tweaked or expanded on.

Which
three character traits do all entrepreneurs possess?

I
think everyone is different, but there has to be a certain level of ambition
and risk taking to be an entrepreneur. Also a certain level of hard work to get
what you want. Succeeding takes a lot more than just buying a lotto
ticket.

Do
you believe in internships for your business?

We
usually offer internships in our design department and applications need to go
to our head of design via email: info@leap.co.za. Internships provide students an opportunity to see what work
life is about. Often what students envisage is completely different to their
experience.

If
you could give yourself any advice back then, what are your top 5
wisdoms?

* Always
be professional.

* Never
slate the competition.

* Never
doubt you will succeed.

* Remain
positive and stay focussed.

* The
line “hard work and perseverance = luck” always strikes a chord with me.